Google flogs Motorola Mobility to Lenovo

Search engine Google has ended dissatisfaction amongst its hardware partners by flogging Motorola Mobility to Lenovo. Google bought Motorola Mobility for its patents so that it could act as a defence should Microsoft and Apple get a little uppity about Android. However the move angered Google’s traditional business partners who feared that they would get snubbed because Google would give its own brand special treatment.

Google supremo Larry Page signed an agreement to sell Motorola to Lenovo for $2.91 billion. He said that the smartphone market is super competitive, and to thrive it helps to be all-in when it comes to making mobile devices.

“It’s why we believe that Motorola will be better served by Lenovo—which has a rapidly growing smartphone business and is the largest (and fastest-growing) PC manufacturer in the world,” he said.

“This move will enable Google to devote our energy to driving innovation across the Android ecosystem, for the benefit of smartphone users everywhere. As a side note, this does not signal a larger shift for our other hardware efforts,” Page said.

He added that Lenovo had the expertise and track record to scale Motorola into a major player within the Android ecosystem. They have a lot of experience in hardware, and they have global reach. Google will retain the vast majority of Motorola’s patents, which we will continue to use to defend the entire Android ecosystem.

The deal has yet to be approved in the U.S. or China, and this usually takes time. So until then, it’s business as usual, Page said.